Call me a tedious old F**t if you like ("your a tedious old F**t" they all yell) and I know OA is on Life Support and we shouldn't do anything to make its survival any more precarious than it already is, but I really find these open-ended challenges .... well, not especially challenging! You might as well say "Oh, just stick in anything you like taken recently, that'll do".

Occasionally one image is so outstanding that it blows all of the competition out of the water; it was obvious from the start last month that Matthias' church with stars was a winner, and well done to him, but for me, especially when deciding where to place my vote, interpretation of a theme is a significant factor when choosing between a number of worthy offerings. I've been competing here for a few years with a degree of success and have, with others better qualified than I, agonised over ways to breathe new life into the competition. Dumbing-down and tending toward mediocrity will always be appealing because it means having to make less effort. Sorry to be so cynical but that's the way I feel.

In a previous post I mentioned I thought most members were in the northern hemisphere, and this last winter up there seemed pretty bad and was not conducive to get out with a camera. The open theme kept the assignment going and perhaps with spring coming we can try starting a monthly theme again. I don’t think its all doom and gloom, although you may have some valid points Mike I like to think members here can overcome this.